European armed forces are shifting from experimental projects to full-scale integration of artificial intelligence into core military capabilities. A series of recent agreements, contracts, and national programmes across the continent signal that AI is no longer a futuristic concept but a present-day priority.
Germany and Ukraine Forge Drone Alliance
On Monday, Berlin and Kyiv launched the “Brave Germany” programme, a joint initiative that will produce approximately 5,000 AI-enabled medium-range strike drones. The deal is the latest in a string of bilateral and multilateral efforts to embed AI into decision-making and weapon systems. Analysts at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) note that European militaries have used AI for logistics and human resources for about a decade, but around 2015 the technology matured enough to become a strategic priority.
“Very simple AI models can be used to optimise processes — like choosing route B over route A, similar to how we use Google Maps,” said Laura Bruun, an AI researcher at SIPRI. Today, investment falls into two main categories: semi-autonomous weapon systems where a human remains in the loop, and AI-enabled decision-support systems covering battle management, operational planning, and tactical planning.
Who Is Leading?
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are the frontrunners, according to Bruun. All three have announced “huge contracts” with AI companies to accelerate integration into targeting capabilities. Germany’s Ministry of Defence signed a deal in 2023 with Munich-based Helsing AI to build the AI backbone for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), Europe’s next-generation fighter jet. Additional contracts with Helsing and Saab Germany will integrate AI into the Eurofighter’s electronic warfare system. A separate €269 million contract with Helsing will produce loitering munitions — so-called kamikaze drones — for German and NATO forces.
The United Kingdom launched the Asgard programme in 2025, a digitally enabled reconnaissance and strike network that combines sensors, decision-support tools, and weapons to “improve decision-making and increase lethality.” London also forged a strategic partnership with US defence company Palantir, which will invest up to £1.5 billion (€1.73 billion) to help the UK government harness AI technologies.
France stands out for its push to build “sovereign” AI military systems independent of the United States, said Roy Lindelauf, professor of data science at the Netherlands Defence Academy. In January, the French government awarded a framework agreement to Mistral, the Paris-based AI company seen as Europe’s main competitor to American giants like OpenAI and Anthropic. The deal allows the armed forces and some public entities to use Mistral’s AI models, software, and services, building on a cooperation agreement signed in 2025.
The European Union is also active. Last month, the European Defence Fund (EDF) selected several AI projects, including a “private, deployable, sustainable and efficient large language model” for member states, a sovereign European AI support tool, and an AI-enabled artillery system.
The Ukraine Factor
Europe is largely taking cues from Ukraine’s battlefield experience, Bruun said. Ukrainian forces have developed the Delta system, a digital battle management platform powered by AI that integrates trackers, radars, satellite data, and digital maps to help officers track friendly forces and identify enemy positions. “The system not only combines huge amounts of different data streams, but also has the AI layer doing the analysis on top of that,” Lindelauf said.
Ukrainian troops also use loitering munitions where navigation and target identification are automatic, though a commander still authorises each strike. “The way we’ve seen AI used in Ukraine can give us a good sense of how European states more broadly are looking into adopting AI,” Bruun said. Ukraine is also cooperating with Palantir on the “Brave1 Dataroom” project, which develops AI based on combat data from the war with Russia.
Despite these advances, Lindelauf warned that Europe’s organisational structures may slow deployment. “I’m sometimes worried that our decision-making takes too much time. The speed to roll it out might be hampered by the way we are organised.”
As European capitals race to integrate AI, the continent faces a familiar challenge: turning well-thought-out plans into operational reality before adversaries do the same.
